The Frigid Northlands
by Eldest Tempest
Summary: Ensia Runewrought, a mercenary, had never expected to be caught up in so much drama. Naturally, fate decides to have its fun. No real setting defined. R&R, please.
1. Chapter 1

A gust of cold air greeted the form of Ensia Runewrought as she sprinted through the streets of a metropolis. She was due for a meeting with her employer to discuss tactics. Unfortunately, she was a bit behind schedule. Darting between two passer-by's she rounded a corner heading straight for a gleaming obsidian building. Without even pausing to catch her breath she flung the doors open before skidding to a halt in front of a mahogany desk, panting as she struggled to breathe. A rather pudgy man with short white hair glanced at her from a pair of spectacles placed neatly on his nose. Scrutinizing her for only a moment, he spoke in a cheery voice. "Good morning, Ensia!"

"Good morning, Magistrate Jo'Va." she replied in a hurried tone, still gulping in air. "Have you seen the Guildmaster?"

The magistrate picked up a pen from his desk before flicking it to a joining corridor. "Down there, third room on the left."

Ensia merely gave a nod of acknowledgement before sprinting off, the magistrate exclaiming something inaudible. Counting the rooms as she passed, she caught herself as she stopped at the third door before quietly entering.

The Guildmaster, or Guildmaster Areth as he was called, was standing by a lavishly decorated window staring out at the metropolis. He was a man of average height, with neat jet-black hair and piercing grey eyes that could discern truth from lie. Dressed in an oddly sinister dark suit, his gaze never left the scene laid out before him. "Close the door." was all he said.

Ensia obliged as she leaned against one of the marble walls, glancing about the room with opulent fabric hung about the masonry.

"Your last kill seemed to draw some suspicion, Ensia. Not getting sloppy, I hope?"

Ensia stiffened as she recalled the events two nights ago. She had been ordered to kill a merchant selling pottery, due to a threat he had made against the organization. Unfortunately, he had conveniently brought an escort and by now, the added gore would surely have been noticed. Clearing her throat, she began. "The old fool was...paranoid, to say the least, Guildmaster. I was unaware he would bring an escort."

"Hmmm. Yes, how...intriguing. Were you aware he was informed before hand of the movement?"

Ensia cast a brief glance to the carpeted floor, as if it was to blame for the conversation. "No, Guildmaster."

"And are you aware of _who _informed them?" The Guildmaster's tone was beginning to have a dangerous tone. His eyes remained fixated on the window.

Once more, Ensia glanced about the room before replying. "...No, Guildmaster."

"Well, perhaps you can ask them, yes?" Areth turned around before pointing outside the window. Ensia squinted to see what he was pointing at and a feeling of dread had begun to build up inside her. Outside, were four men who were getting increasingly close to the building in which they were in; the city guard. Ensia glanced to Areth, noticing the smirk on his face. "I was wondering when you might fail me, Ensia. Such a pity you have to go to waste."

As if his words had conjuration properties, two guards promptly burst through the door before glancing at Ensia, hands on the sheathes of wicked swords, no doubt. Areth, meanwhile, screamed like a madman pointing at Ensia. "That's her, men! That's the murderer!"

The guards drew their swords and Ensia decided to make a split-second decision. Before they could so much as declare her arrest, she sprinted for the window, right past Areth, diving straight through it. Glass flew everywhere and ricocheted on whatever it hit. Ensia did a barrel-roll as she tumbled through the grass and pavement alike of the city. At last coming to a stop, she shakily got to her feet, covered with multiple scratches and bruises. The two guards had stepped through the obliterated window, largely unscathed, having most likely brought their swords up in self-defense. The four she had seen earlier quickly joined with their compatriots as the six of them advanced on her in a semicircular ring. Once again, Ensia followed her first impulse; running.

With six guards in pursuit, Ensia weaved her way through the city making for the first place she could think of: the stables. Rushing by a laundrywoman, who promptly screamed upon seeing the state she was in, her feet slipped a bit as she attempted to do a wide turn. Cursing herself as the guards were quickly gaining on her, she decided to take a shortcut. Praying to the gods she would succeed, she put forth all her energy into fleeing as she leapt over a short fence before finding a man leading a horse to, presumably, the stables. Uttering a word of thanks, she put whatever energy she had in her legs into getting onto the horse. Her muscles screamed with protest, though she nonetheless caught her boot onto a part of the saddle before hoisting herself onto the horse. The man below screamed at her to get down that instant, but she instead whipped the reins and sped past like an eagle in flight. Glancing back behind her, she noticed the guards had found steeds of their own and quickly urged her horse to gain speed.

The game of cat and mouse was drawn out as Ensia made her way northwards of the city, heading for whatever place had safety. The guards had not given up in their endeavor and were still adamantly following her, determined to see her behind bars. The air had begun to grow crisper and her horse whinnied, clearly disliking the new change. Was that snow she saw? Impossible as it was, with the change of air, her eyes did not deceive her. Ahead was a full-blown snowstorm, the winds whipping about as snow catapulted through the air. Ensia and her pursuers had, by now, entered the area. The roaring of the winds was so deafening, Ensia could not hear her horse whinnying. Nor did she hear the click that sounded behind her as a guard loaded a crossbow. Taking great care with his aim, being barely able to see her lithe form, he fired at whatever he could. A searing pain immediately latched itself onto the shoulder blade of her right arm. She dropped like a twig into the cushion of snow, her horse careening on without her. The guards halted their horses, glancing at Ensia's form before grunting and turning their horses away, back to the city. The murderer had been dealt with.

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><p><strong>Hullo! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Reviews would be greatly appreciated whilst the story is in progress. Thank you. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Ensia awoke to pure darkness. Glancing about, she could see nothing but an endless inky mass stretching in all directions. _Am I dead_? No, she would have known if she had died. She stretched out her right arm, glancing it over as a fresh wave of pain emanated from the crossbow wound. Dropping her arm to her side, she shifted about, wondering if anything would even happen. A minuscule light caught her attention. As it was the only thing in plain sight, she sauntered towards it, hoping that it was an escape from this bizarre area.

She emerged in a chamber all too familiar for her. The shattered remains of glass still lay strewn about the once grand room. Areth's back was to her, as he glanced up at a portrait that had been shredded by the shrapnel, seated in a leather chair. Kneeling at the desk was an entity cloaked in pure black robes, much like his employer's. With no response from Areth, the entity spoke in a quiet, scratchy voice.

"She escaped, my lord."

"I know that, Berel," Areth hissed from his position, "Do not take me for a fool."

"I would never question my lord's wisdom," the man responded.

"Doubtful you even could."

Berel flinched as though stung by his employer's words. Areth turned to face him and Ensia only just stifled a scream. Areth's once charming face was completely shredded by the wreckage of the window. Numerous scars covered his face, where the flesh had been sheared off. Multiple scuffs also covered his suit, adding more plausible wounds. He looked as if he had been taken from a graveyard, resurrected by a necromancer for his own ends. Areth looked at the man as if he was going to speak more insults before exhaling.

"Find the girl and kill her, Berel. I do not want insignificant gnats troubling me."

Berel bowed his head lower than he already was. "When does my lord wish for me to depart?"

"Immediately." Areth fixated his lapdog with cold, hungry eyes.

"Of course, my lord. I will go forth at once. What of the magistrate, though? He was rather fond of the girl, knowing her as a daughter."

Areth drummed his fingers on the desk, before finally speaking. "Is he aware of the...incident?"

Berel did not reply, figuring the question to be rhetorical. Who hadn't heard, after all?

"Then, perhaps..."

The vision grew hazy as everything began to go out of touch. The image vanished, leaving a sense of apprehension as a lasting reminder.

Ensia opened her eyes to find herself propped in a position, lying on cold stone floor. A wet cloth covered her forehead as her gaze was still a bit hazy. Kneeling over her, were dwarves.

"Think she's awake yet, Dwafin?" A yellow bearded dwarf questioned.

"Not sure what 'ta say, Cravi," Another with a brown beard replied.

"She took a nasty fall, Cravi. Bloomin' humans and their ways," A third with a dark red beard noted.

"I woulda' thought humans were sturdier an' the like," Cravi murmured.

"They aren' as stocky as we dwarves, are they, Nolor?" Dwafin wondered.

"Prolly' not. Don' have the right build. Too tall an' flimsy, like them elves," Nolor nodded.

"I can _hear you_, you know," Ensia muttered as she struggled to sit up. Her shoulder injury roared in dissent as pain once more attacked, startling the dwarves. "And we humans happen to be _quite _sturdy, thank you."

"Easy, lass, easy. We meant no harm," Dwafin assured as he eased her back to her resting place. "Ye took a right nasty fall from being shot."

"How long was I unconscious?" She asked the surrounding dwarves, huddled about her. It was rather awkward and a slight invasion of her personal space.

"'Bout a few hours, a' least five," Cravi answered, glancing about before returning his gaze to Ensia.

"Great," she grumbled. "At least tell me where I am."

"Yer' in the great dwarf-forges of Kazar-Dunum, o'course! Not 'ah better place to gain blue ice from!" Nolor replied with glee, taking pride in these facts.

"We found ye curled up in the snow, blood pouring from that wound," Dwafin pointed with a warhammer to Ensia's wound. She suddenly grew uncomfortable, as if the dwarf might give her more wounds to worry about. "The three o' us managed 'ta bring ye here."

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, master Dwarf, but I must leave." Ensia spoke briskly, leading to protest from the dwarves.

"But ye can' leave!" Nolor exclaimed. "Yer wound won' get ye a mile from 'ere!"

Despite her stubbornness, the dwarf was right. She was in no shape to leave and find her way around, let alone get up without her wound gnawing at her. However, Areth was quite keen on removing her, if he was sending a bounty hunter after her. And the news of Magistrate Jo'Va...

"Well, lass, doesn't look like ye will be going anywhere soon. Why don' we let ye rest a bit?" Cravi proposed, with the other two dwarves nodding assent. "We'll show ye around later, when yer well enough to move."

"Very well, master dwarf. I agree to your demands," Ensia accepted with a nod before lying back down completely. The dwarves then returned to a standing position and shuffled away, leaving Ensia to ponder on the events of the future.


	3. Chapter 3

The dwarves were, if anything, completely adamant in showing Ensia the wonders of Kazar-Dunum. From the mines showcasing dwarven pickaxes striking against the glacial walls to chip the ice to the wondrous forges where dwarves were hard at work in crafting only the best material from their supplies. Ensia glanced about at the various scenes that greeted her eyes.

"This-this is amazing."

"Splendid, innit?" Nolor exclaimed as he gestured about the forges with open arms. "Now then, s'pose you want to wander 'bout outside?"

But Ensia wasn't listening to Nolor. She was staring at a slab of blue ice the size of a full-grown dwarf. Ensia normally wasn't one for personal beauty, but, suffice to say, the icy reflection was nonetheless intriguing. Staring at her was a double. She had willow-brown hair, green eyes, and fairly average colored skin. Dressed in a brown vest, with purple sleeves and some brown chaps, she also wore leather gloves and boots coated with dried-up dirt and other mucky objects. Clipped to her belt, was a crossbow, which was no doubt loaded. Numerous dagger sheathes also dotted her sleeves and chaps, having been sewn into the cloth. To top it all off, a worn and tattered cloak clung to her back, having seen quite a few years of service. It was lovely, in the odd sense. Finally, she tore her gaze from the slab of ice to the dwarves.

"Lass? Do ye want to go outside?" Cravi asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Ah, yes, please," She replied in a quick outburst. She was still rather distracted about her vision. She had best be prepared.

"'Ight, then. If ye'll just follow us, we'll take ye outside," Dwafin directed.

Ensia dipped her head to them as the dwarves filed out of the cavern through an adjoining tunnel, with Ensia following suite. After a few minutes of silence except for shuffling feet, they emerged into a much larger cavern, serving as an entry way. Light bathed the ice in its bright radiance. The dwarves and Ensia had to squint so they would not be blinded. Moving by a sentry posted at the entrance, who nodded to them in acknowledgement, they emerged onto a ridge overlooking vast tundra beneath them. There was no sign of any trees for as far as Ensia could peer. In fact, there seemed to be no signs of life anywhere in the area. Glancing back at the dwarves, who merely grinned, she glanced back down at the tundra.

"Shall we go down?" She asked in a curious tone, having never really explored icy terrain before.

"If it pleases ye, lass," Dwafin assented, gesturing to a ramp spiraling downwards. "Down ye go."

The foursome soon stepped onto the crunchy snow, which proved to be quite difficult to maneuver around in. The closest thing Ensia could compare it to would be a bog with its suction grasping at your legs and, in extension, you. The other annoying thing was the biting cold. Already, it was beginning to affect Ensia, and she hugged her arms to her chest in an attempt to stay warm.

"Ah, sorry, lass. Forgot te give ye some fur coats," Cravi apologized, shuffling about.

"N-no w-worries, master d-dwarf," Ensia managed to utter out.

"Ah, 'ang on, Cravi. Think ah got somethin' that may do the trick," Nolor said.

Rummaging through his pack, he retrieved a weathered scroll. The parchment looked like it had seen better days; nonetheless, it was still readable, to the dwarf, anyway.

"'Ight. Here ye are, miss," Nolor finally exclaimed. Murmuring in Dwarven, Nolor waved his hands about as if that added some extra effect. Already, Ensia was beginning to feel more comfortable, the numbing cold beginning to leave her aching limbs. Nolor finished casting the spell as his hands dropped to his sides. The scroll simply winked out of existence.

"Unfortunately, 'tis only temporary, lass. It'll keep ye warm an' toasty while we're out 'ere, though," Nolor diagnosed.

"Right, of course. Wh-What's that?" Ensia pointed with her good arm to a nearby hill where she thought she had detected a metallic gleam.

A growl escaped the throat of Dwafin, as he muttered a phrase in Dwarven. A prayer for protection, perhaps? Or could it have been an insult?

"One of them frost folk. 'Tis bad luck to see them loping about here," Dwafin answered.

"Frost folk?" Ensia questioned. If she was going to be here, she may as well get some answers.

"Aye. Nasty beings, them. According te legend, a tribe o' humans made a pact with the dark gods of the north to grant them protection from the cold. Protect them it did, a'right, but it completely changed 'em. Pale frosty skin, left eye practically gleams wit' malice. Can' be trusted; they're misfortune to the odder folk 'ere in the north. Don' normally see 'em this close te civilization, so must be a scouting party for invasion or some odder thing," Dwafin explained.

"Other things?" Ensia queried, curiousity gnawing at her.

"Ne'er mind dat. Best be gettin' back to the forges," Dwafin responded, clearly not wanting to discuss the subject.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ensia trudged behind as Cravi led the way up the slope with the other two flanking her. Upon reaching the top, Cravi stiffened and Ensia bumped into him.

"What is it?" She grumbled as she glanced past, well, _over _the dwarf.

Blood was spattered by the entrance to the cavern. The corpse of the sentry was propped up against the wall, glaring bleakly out at nothing. Before she could even wonder what had happened, a noise distracted her.

"Hello, darling," A raspy voice drawled as the figure cloaked in black stepped out of the entrance studying the four. "Oh, we're going to have so much _fun_."

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><p><strong>Heehee, I finally described Ensia's appearance. And an ominous cliff-hanger comes along to boot! Reviews would be lovely, after all, the author needs to know how to please his readers!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Berel slipped a hand to his belt as he drew a thin, yet no doubt sharp, rapier twirling it in his hand as if waiting for Ensia to draw her own weapon.

"Come now, can't fight an unarmed opponent, can I?" He taunted, swishing the rapier about. "Or an injured one? Doesn't matter, either way you're pathetic."

Ensia clenched her fists as she muttered an insult under her breath. This indignant _swine _would merely stand there and torment her to her death. Anger boiling inside her, she spoke.

"Coming from the man who stands there like a dainty woman brandishing his weapon like some piece of rich jewelry! Now, are you actually going to try to kill me or are you all talk?"

Berel's jaw twitched; clearly he was not used to his prey insulting him. Ensia gave a satisfactory smirk at his displeasure, happy she had struck a nerve.

"Errr, lass? Do ye want us ter handle 'im?" Dwafin asked in a low voice.

"I believe I have this, master dwarf. Whilst only having one good arm, I can still whip insolent slugs into shape," She replied bitterly.

Ensia slid two daggers from her sheathes, crossing them as she glared at Berel. The dwarves shuffled off to the side, waiting to see if they needed to help or not. Berel himself was slightly taken aback, though with a quick cry, he lunged forward with his rapier in an attempt to pierce her heart. Doing a quick twirl to the left, she swung her left dagger at the man's neck, though he seemed to know it was coming and ducked down as Ensia finished her spin. Whirling around to face her, Berel stood aloft with his rapier, glancing over her.

"Agile, I'll give you that. Not a single target has escaped my wrath, however. That is why I am Areth's best. His first to call when he requires something eliminated. I do not fail," Berel gloated.

"You talk too much," Ensia grumbled as Berel once more came up slicing at her right side, which she blocked with both daggers. The weight of the rapier and her shoulder injury were beginning to work against her as Berel slowly pushed forward. Darting to the left, Berel's propulsion forced him into gaining a sudden mouthful of snow. Ensia rushed forward intending to aim for his neck, though Berel's legs lashed out suddenly as they knocked Ensia back. Berel clambered to his feet, spitting out a mouthful of snow. Before Ensia could even so much as comment on that, Berel sped toward her, his rapier pointed for her chest. Once more, she went to whirl out of reach. Berel had feinted the maneuver, however, and instead sliced at her shoulder wound. A fresh wave of pain hit her as she dropped to the snow. Turning to face Berel, he had his rapier poised in impaling her. Shutting her eyes not wanting to see the motion, she began to iterate her last words mentally.

_Crack_! Ensia opened her eyes and saw Berel kneel down to the ground, his breath hoarse. Dwafin's warhammer was beside Berel. Cursing under his breath, Berel hobbled away, before going straight off the edge. Cravi and Nolor looked on with wide eyes as they rushed to the end of the ridge to see where he had gone. Dwafin hurried over to Ensia, picking up his warhammer as he did so.

"What happened?" Ensia exclaimed, gesturing to the warhammer.

"Dat bounty hunter bloke was 'bout to make you a grisly trophy. So, I chucked me warhammer and it hit 'im in de leg. Don' think 'ill be walking well, any time soon," Dwafin explained to her.

"That is twice you have saved my life, master dwarf," Ensia said.

"I'm going te have te start collecting me debts, then, lass," Dwafin chuckled, as Cravi and Nolor returned.

"No sign o' him," Cravi reported. "He musta grabbed on te something an' made 'is escape."

"Mos' likely. We'll have te post extra sentries so nothin' like this 'appens again," Dwafin observed.

A shuffling noise caught the ears of the dwarves as Cravi brandished an axe pointing it at the top of the ramp, waiting for, presumably, Berel to come along again. A dirty blonde head popped up from the top, as a man in blue clothing hiked to the top. His eyes were disturbingly like Areth's; piercing blue-grey. He seemed rather unequipped for the environment, like Ensia, which meant that perhaps she wasn't the only non-native. Cravi, upon seeing the man, hefted his axe, then lowered it as he recognized him.

"Elmther! What in de gods' name are ye doing 'ere?" Cravi exclaimed.

"It turns out; my lead was a false one. So, I've come back to stay before another lead pops up. Then, I'm off again," the blonde youth replied cheerily. He can't have been more than thirty. Glancing about, he noticed the tense stance, the sentry corpse, and finally Ensia. "So, all Baator's broken loose, as usual."

Dwafin cleared his throat. "We found the lass a day ago, wounded by a crossbow bolt. We brought her 'ere to rest and recuperate, but dat don't seem likely as a bounty hunter's after her."

"So..." Elmther gestured about the scene. "You require an extra hand?"

"Mhmm. I'm taking de lass to a nearby settlement te see if dey can fix her wound," Dwafin informed.

"Are Cravi and Nolor coming too?" Elmther inquired.

Dwafin shook his head, which disappointed Ensia. "Kazar-Dunum needs as much hands as it can get in case that assassin bloke comes back."

"Then why do you require me? Surely, it would be better for me to help?" Elmther wondered.

"I can' protect the lass on meh own, can I? Ye'll be 'elping in escort duty," Dwafin iterated.

_What am I, a helpless beggar_? _I can protect myself_! Ensia thought, annoyed. Of course, Berel's re-irritation of her wound had certainly left her incapable.

"At least allow me to cure some of the wound," Elmther argued.

Dwafin merely stepped aside, allowing him to go to Ensia. Elmther slowly stepped forward as he placed his right hand on her wound. Ensia clenched her teeth as she tried not to exclaim in pain. Murmuring to himself, Elmther closed his eyes, in concentration. His hand glowed for a brief few seconds as Ensia's wound began to relax slightly. After a few moments, Elmther straightened up, nodding for her to get up. Ensia sat up first, before eventually, and shakily, getting to her feet.

"Lead the way, Dwafin," Elmther stated, dipping his head to him. "You know where to go."

Dwafin started off down the ramp with Ensia and Elmther trailing behind him. Cravi and Nolor shouted their best wishes and farewells to the threesome, before their voices were lost.

Ensia glanced at Elmther before murmuring to him, "Thank you."

Elmther merely nodded once more and the group fell into silence.

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><p><strong>Woo! New character and the party begins to form. Oh, don't think you've seen the last of Berel. :3<strong>

**As per usual through my ramblings, ratings and reviews would be incredibly appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A massive apology for the long time it took to write this chapter. I had loads of work to do, but I'm free now! Enough of my blabbering, here's the chapter!**

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><p>For the most part, the journey to the nearby settlement was rather uneventful, apart from the times when one of the three would trip and fall face-first into a mound of snow. This gave plenty of time for Ensia to think. Personally, she reasoned Berel had not perished and was most likely tracking them or healing himself. On the up side, this meant that she could have some time to actually breathe. Of course, if Berel was otherwise occupied, then inevitably with her luck so far, she would encounter a new foe. Sighing at the irritating prospect, she glanced about her companions. Dwafin was scrutinizing his surroundings with a hawk-like gaze. He had fallen three times into the snow so far, and he was intent on not repeating the mistake. Elmther, on the other hand, was hardly vigilant and instead seemed entirely distracted, lost in his own thoughts. At last, Dwafin gave a cry and Elmther, startled, lost balance and managed to plant himself into the powdery substance. Ensia could not help but chortle at the sight, as Elmther slowly raised himself back up, an expression of extreme displeasure etched on his features.<p>

"We're 'ere," Dwafin stated rather cheerily.

"Excellent. Any longer and we'd have sank deep into this bloody snow," Elmther grumbled.

Not far, smoke was flowing out of the chimneys of the settlement's wooden buildings, where fires were presumably going: _Warm _fires. Instinctively, Ensia set off towards the settlement, longing to get out of the cold. Dwafin and Elmther took the rear as the trio slowly entered the town on a slick icy road. Ensia squinted at the hanging sign of the nearest building, which read "_The Frozen Fancy_", so it was presumably a tavern of some sorts. As they edged closer to the entrance, a window opened as a leather rucksack was tossed out, connecting with Dwafin, sending him to the ground as the bag ricocheted elsewhere. Ensia hurried over to make sure he was alright, but Dwafin instantly sprang to his feet, seemingly unharmed by the attack, and began spewing insults at the window.

"Dwafin, are you talking to a _window_?" Ensia asked, quite concerned for the dwarf's mental health.

Dwafin flushed, his skin taking a strain of red, embarrassed. "Errr, just telling it who's got ah 'ammer, s'all."

"Right," Ensia agreed, not even going to try to understand that.

"Ensia," Elmther called. "You may want to see this."

Disturbed, Ensia sauntered over to see what the matter was. Elmther had found the sack and opened it. Inside, was a pale blue-skinned fey, roughly two feet in height. Dwafin whistled through his teeth at the side, and Ensia glanced at him for an explanation. Dwafin noticed the gaze and begun to explain.

"'Tis an arctic fey, an uldra. Dere quite fond o' nature. Normally don't see 'em 'round cities, though this 'un may 'ave been taken."

"Anything else I should know?" Ensia inquired glancing from the uldra to Dwafin.

"Well, some o' them follow a deity named Iborighu. Now, recall what ah said 'bout the dark gods o' the north? He's one o' them. They used to have anudder patron, though," Dwafin answered.

"Hleid, patron of animals in cold areas and protector of cold magic," Elmther supplied.

Ensia glanced to Elmther, confused. So, he also knew quite a bit about the history around here. Interesting. Her thoughts were cut short as the uldra woke up, glancing about with wild eyes. Dwafin and Elmther both started to say something, but were cut short as the uldra began to wail. Elmther and Dwafin made several attempts to calm her, but all failed. After several minutes of silence, apart from the uldra's wailing, Ensia had enough.

"What's your name?" She asked, glancing at the uldra.

Almost instantly, the uldra stopped its abnormal behavior. "Iceoak," she replied cheerfully.

Dwafin and Elmther breathed a prayer of thanks under their breaths, but Ensia ignored them. "Alright, Iceoak, my name is Ensia. Where are you from?"

The uldra pressed a finger to her chin, as if pondering on the question, before her lip began to quiver. "I can't remember!"

Not wanting to have a repeat of the screaming incident, Ensia quickly improvised. "Alright, can you at least tell me why you were in a sack?"

Iceoak seemed about ready to cry again, but stopped herself just barely. "Taken to be sold. Wasn't wanted, so I was thrown out!"

"That's awful," Ensia assented, knowing perfectly well what the feeling was like, being hounded by the city guard. "Do you want us to get you something to eat?"

The uldra beamed in joy at the prospect. "Yes, miss!"

"Alright, then. We'll head in there," Ensia pointed at _The Frozen Fancy_.

With the others in tow, Ensia pushed open the doors and stepped through. For a tavern in the middle of a wasteland, it actually looked civilized. Well, as civilized as you can get in a place that sells alcohol. The inn consisted mainly of humans and the bartender smiled at the group as they entered, cleaning a glass with a dirty rag. Many of the patrons were merrily chatting or chugging some of their drinks. Leaning against a wall, however, were four men dressed in black cloaks and speaking in hushed tones. Not far from them, a woman was in a heated discussion with a gnome.

"I don't _care_ if there were 'delays in a trade caravan's arrival.' You _owe_ me and I don't take debts lightly," she hissed angrily at the gnome. The poor creature slowly shrunk down into his seat, trying to ignore the woman's words.

"M-maybe there was a snowstorm?" He offered weakly, hoping to appease her. He was seriously wrong in this endeavor as the woman, in a fit of fury, overturned the table, sending the drinks down on the floor. One of the cloaked men moved his hand to his belt before another muttered something in his ear and the first man eased his hand away. The bartender, meanwhile, exclaimed loudly at the woman. She merely ignored this and turned to face the party. It was then that Ensia noticed her pointed ears.

"You're an elf," was the only thing she could state, still in shock about the table incident.

"Thank you for the observation. I hadn't noticed," the elf grunted as she took a step forward.

"Wait! I hadn't meant any harm. What was that about?" Ensia questioned as she gestured to the destroyed table and the gnome crawling away from the wreckage.

The elf furrowed her brows as she glanced back to the carnage she caused. "That? The lowlife scum borrowed some coin from me and he hasn't paid up for months."

"Right," Ensia nodded as she glanced at the bar. "We're not really from around here. We just need a drink and we're on our way. I don't suppose you could give us an idea on the currency here?"

The elf merely sighed as she glanced over the four beings in the ragtag group of adventurers. "At least you're honest, unlike that bloody gnome. I could tell you're new to these parts. S'pose it couldn't hurt to buy you all a drink. I'm Irieora, by the way."

"Ensia," Ensia replied, grinning. "Pleasure to meet you."

Irieora merely gave a smile in return before turning to the bartender. "Oi, barkeep! Five ales!"

The barkeep merely grumbled under his breath before ducking down beneath the booth to gather the ingredients. Ensia turned around, noticing the disappearance of Dwafin, Iceoak, and Elmther. Where in the gods' name had they gone?

"Weren't there four of you when you came in?" Irieora questioned, as Ensia revolved back to her.

"Y-yeah, there were," Ensia replied as she frowned. How _had_ they gone without making a sound or even telling her? Sudden pain flared through her head and she only registered an exclamation from Irieora before everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Oorah, the party once more lands in the clutches of peril. Adding to that, two more party members joined in! Oh, and the usual Rate &amp; Review would be lovely.<strong>


End file.
